Evan, Thanks for that great reference! Sounds extremely interesting. The only question I have is how in the world did Nathan remake herself in such a way that she became unrecognizable to other faculty? It must be a very large institution indeed.
thanks, Khaldoun --- Evan Cooper <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > I thought folks might be interested in this. > > Evan Cooper > > http://villagevoice.com/arts/0531,education1,66450,12.html > > In the fall of 2002, Rebekah Nathan, a 55-year-old > anthropology > professor looking to become more "crazy in a good > way," enrolled in her > own university. She moved into the dorms, hung a > cutesy message board > outside of her room, and chatted on Instant > Messenger, using plenty of > smileys. Soon after, she "got busted for drinking." > She hoped her > illicit can of beer would win over the other > students on the floor, who > appreciated her friendliness (she joined in on all > hallway events, > including games of Twister and meetings about > protected sex) and also > found it a little pathetic. > "You look like their mother in the beginning," she > told the Voice, "but > you don't act like their mother. There were a series > of 'mom incidents' > [everyone immediately assumed she was the loving > parent of whomever she > was standing next to], but eventually they began > treating me like a > peer." > > Nathan went back to school, after more than 15 years > of teaching, > because she no longer understood her students. They > never did their > reading and when they came to class, they slept or > played with their > cell phones; "I was on the verge of being offended," > she said. In My > Freshman Year (out this month from Cornell > University Press), a series > of essays about her two semesters as an undergrad, > she never reveals > the name of the university ("Rebekah Nathan" is also > a pseudonym), but > describes it as both a big state school andin a > more academic > moment"a remote overseas village." She takes > "censuses" of all the > flyers in the hallways, scrupulously writing down > mundane messages like > "Good luck with classes!" or "Come on in." No one > ever asked her what > she was doing. According to rumor, she was hiding > from a traumatic > divorce. > > For all the drama of going undercover, though, > Nathan's revelations are > relatively predictable, confirmingscientificallya > rush of college > stereotypes. After delving into the art of door > decorations, she > impressively outlines seven "genres" of photos. In > each image, students > carefully arrange themselves into positions that > will convey something > like "Here I am being fun and spontaneous!" They > stick out their > tongues or butts, or point at each other, mouths > open, in mock > surprise. In one particularly popular pose (type no. > 6), a mixed-gender > group lies on the ground, each person's head resting > on the next > person's stomach. The shot is taken from above. > Everyone is laughing. > Accompanying the photos are strings of words and > phrases, cut from > magazines, which round out the image of this > perfectly irreverent dorm > resident: "Friends don't let friends party naked; > Bitch; 24 Hours in a > Day. 24 cans of beer in a case. Coincidence? I think > Not. Z-man!!" > > Nathan said she never overheard a conversation about > the actual content > of a course, only whispered questions like "When is > the paper due?" or > "What is the font size?" During her second semester, > she went around > campus asking people if there was "any course you > think I shouldn't > miss." After getting the same response from almost > every student, she > took their suggestions and enrolled in a class > called "Sexuality." When > the teacher walked in and immediately began using > the word > fucking, the 19-year-old next to her whispered, > "This guy is so cool!" > > Michael Moffatt, an anthropology professor at > Rutgers who spent four > semesters living in the college dorms in the '70s > and '80s, found > students similarly disposed toward "friendly fun," > as he puts it. While > Nathan spent all her time on campus, Moffatt dipped > in just one night a > week, carefully graphingwith triangles, squares, > and dotted linesthe > evolution of friendships down the hall. He > interviewed more than 200 > students, and eavesdropped on their late-night > conversations by > pretending to fall asleep in the common lounge. One > roommate accused > him of being a "returned Vietnam Vet infiltrating > the system." The > title of his 1989 book about the experience, Coming > of Age in New > Jersey (a play on Margaret Mead's Coming of Age in > Samoa), situates his > research process within a familiar framework. > Carefully keeping his > polysyllables under control, he deconstructs the > culture, dividing > students into romantic categories like > "Neanderthals," "Sluts," and > "Good Women." > > Although the focus is less sexual, Nathan and her > "remote village" rely > on similar metaphors. When she told other faculty > members about the > project, they thought she was "on the verge of > crazy." Three colleagues > individually came up to her and said the idea > reminded them of Black > Like Me, the 1961 bestseller by John Howard Griffin, > a white writer who > dyed his skin and then traveled throughout the > South. "Likening my > projected freshman experience to changing one's > racial identity in the > 1950s," she writes, "said volumes about the > psychological distance > educators perceive between their world and that of > their students." She > altered her appearance in just a couple of minor > ways, but the few > times she ran into colleagues on campus, they didn't > recognize her: She > was wearing shorts, flip-flops, and a backpack. > > Even in classes, she had no trouble hiding her > identityshe was a > dismayingly solid-B student and resented when > professors assigned > things just for the sake of an "interesting read." > In engineering, she > was the worst one in the room. "I asked stupid > questions. People would > look at me. I had to go to the tutoring center." > > With a much better sense of what it means to "suck > at a class," Nathan > said she wishes other professors would at least be > more curious about > the people they're teaching. All the spectacular > quotes that the RAs > affixed to dorm walls ("The world is but a canvas to > the imagination"; > "It takes two to speak truthone to speak, and > another to hear") were a > little absurd, given the displays outside of kids' > rooms bosomy girls > in bathing suits, holding forties. Understanding the > enormous gap > between student and faculty values has prompted > Nathan to be more > inventive about the way she presents things in > class. "I would have > preferred less noise, drama, throwing up, but it > made me a better > professor," she says. "If kids have to sleep through > lectures, I > understand. At this point, it'd be pretty hard for > me to feel > alienated." > > > > ____________________________________________________ Start your day with Yahoo! - make it your home page http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs
